By Buziwe Nocuze
Sinovuyo Mzayiya, a 26-year-old woman from Cape Town, was severely beaten with a brick by her boyfriend in a shocking case of gender-based violence.
Mzayiya was visiting a female friend and planned to stay overnight.
“He knew I was at my friend’s place, but he showed up and accused me of not answering his calls. He started hitting me before we even left the house in Nyanga,” she said.
“I’ve been with him for a year, and he never hurt me before. I was shocked when he started hitting me.”
Her boyfriend accused her of ignoring his calls and not coming home as promised.
She tried to run back into her friend’s house, but he continued to hit her.
“People tried to stop him, but he threatened them too. I’m just thankful to be alive, even though I have stitches in my head,” she said.
“He’s been calling my friends, asking them to get me to forgive him. He says he doesn’t know why he did it, but I want justice.”
The attack happened on Monday morning, but the boyfriend has not been arrested yet.
After sharing her story and photos on social media, some people started rumours that Mzayiya had stabbed her boyfriend and that he was in hospital.
Sinovuyo said: “It’s a fake account spreading lies. If I had stabbed him, why are the police still looking for him? If he were in hospital, the police would have said so.”
Western Cape police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana confirmed that Nyanga police had opened a case of assault with intent to cause serious harm.
“No one has been arrested yet, and the investigation is ongoing,” said Manyana.
The Safer Spaces NGO says between 25% and 40% of South African women have experienced sexual and/or physical intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
The Stop Gender Violence Helpline, 0800 150 150, provides 24/7 help for women in all 11 official languages.
Pictured above: Sinovuyo Mzayiya has been left with stitches on her head after she was assaulted with a brick by her boyfriend, who accused her of not answering his calls.
Source: Supplied
